Big spending on graffiti clean-up

Local councils in Suffolk say dealing with a rising amount of vandalism is hitting their finances.

In Ipswich, the council spends nearly £2,500 each month cleaning up about 25 incidents of graffiti.

In Lowestoft, the district council has a budget of £1,500 a year, but has had to spend almost three times that, with £1,800 spent on car parks alone.

But Forest Heath says it receives about one call a month and Mid-Suffolk councillors say graffiti is rare.

Suffolk Coastal covers the clean-up of graffiti on public buildings out of a £100,000 annual budget, which also must pay for litter-picking and clearing untaxed cars.